Parents' Guide to

The Great Gatsby

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

American classic captures romance, debauchery of Jazz Age.

Book F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Fiction 1925
The Great Gatsby Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 13+

Based on 11 parent reviews

Gairid
Gairid Adult
September 27, 2020
age 14+

Little people living lives too larger for them

Richly detailed look at America's Jazz Age. Overview about how shallow living such a privileged life affected the characters in different ways. Fitzgerald's writing is smooth and evocative but his characters are poorly realized. His outlook on women is especially bitter. The characters can only see their own lives as worth paying attention to.

This title has:

Educational value
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
rockyshae99
rockyshae99 Adult
April 14, 2023
age 12+
Fitzgerald's novel explores the struggle between new and old money. The way this theme is presented in the book is tasteful and age appropriate. While some of the symbolism may go over children's heads, I think that the themes are apparent enough to be understood.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Nick Carraway spends a summer living in a cheap rental house surrounded by lavish mansions on Long Island in the 1920s. Among his neighbors are his beautiful cousin Daisy, her loutish husband Tom, and her former lover, Jay Gatsby, whose history and epic parties are fodder for gossip. Nick becomes caught up in the machinery of more than one romantic triangle as the summer begins to fade and Gatsby's orchestra stops playing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (72 ):

THE GREAT GATSBY is a magnificent novel on every level. Fitzgerald writes about the Jazz Age in language that beautifully evokes music. He writes about a hot day in a way that almost makes you sweat. His characters are well-drawn, and the plot is engaging and fast-paced. Though this novel is possibly best appreciated by college-level readers, advanced high school students will find a lot to enjoy and discuss.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Gatsby's five-year quest to regain Daisy's heart. Is his dream realistic? What is Fitzgerald saying about trying to recapture the past?

  • What kind of person is Nick? Do you feel he is a well-formed character? Why was he so devoted to Gatsby at the end of the book?

  • What is Gatsby really like? How is he different from the widely held ideas about him in the book?

  • Why do you think this book is considered a classic?

Book Details

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